Rostock-class Cruiser
The Rostock-class was a class of two heavy cruisers built for Imperial Germany in the early 1920s, in the Kaiserschlacht timeline. They were the first cruisers in service to carry guns larger than 8 inches in calibre in proper turrets. Combined with a good balance of speed and protection, these vessels were highly advanced for their time, which delayed their completion. The two ships Rostock ''and ''Schwerin were in service from 1925 to ____. Design In 1916, the Royal Navy laid down cruisers of the Hawkins-''class. Armed with 7.5" guns and with a high speed of 31 knots these vessels threatened to outclass all cruisers in the Kaiserliche Marine.'' The #history ''Central Admiralty was consulted for a design in response in 1919. ''Rostock's role would be that of a fleet action cruiser, designed to screen larger ships, in particular the battlecruiser forces, with her predecessor Cöln. Rostock, the name given to one of two selected designs, was to be of 10000 tons displacement. The ship was fairly slender, with a length of 193.45m at the waterline and a beam of 18m. At normal load the Rostock ''drafted 6.65m. She had a flush-deck hullform inspired by that of the ''Derfflinger-class battlecruisers. Protection was to be significantly better than the rival Hawkins, with a uniform 90mm main belt and 55mm extended belt over the steering gear. Deck armor was 60mm thick over the machinery and magazines, equalling that of the Cöln-''class, and 25mm thick over the steering gear. The conning tower was protected by 100mm of armor. A 50mm bulkhead was integrated into the ship's structure to form a single shallow layer of underwater protection, and an additional 20mm centerline longitudinal bulkhead provided subdivision for the machinery spaces. The ''Rostock-''class also marked a transition to full oil-burning machinery, with 10 oil-fired boilers and a three-shaft geared turbine setup providing 71000 shaft horsepower for a design speed of 31 knots. The vessels had a range of 5500 nautical miles at 15 knots. ''Rostock had powerful artillery, carrying 6 newly-developed 21cm SK L/45 C/19 guns in 3 two-gun turrets, the first cruiser to do so. Problems with the complex turret that was capable of a respectable 6 rounds per minute per gun significantly delayed Rostock's completion, but the weapon proved to be more than satisfactory in service. She also carried 8 8.8cm SK L/45 guns, capable of engaging both surface and air targets. Service History Initially scheduled for construction as soon as possible, in 1919, delays in the design process of the main battery turrets first pushed the date of lay-down to late 1920. In practice, meaningful construction of Rostock only began in 1921, and for Schwerin 1922. By 1924 both ships were fitting out and underwent speed trials, and the Rostock-class was accepted into service in 1925. Ships in Class SMS Rostock The lead ship of the class, named after the city of Rostock in the north German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, achieved a speed of 31.15 knots on speed trials and was commisioned in August 1925. SMS Schwerin The second ship of the class, named after the city of Schwerin in the north German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Achieved a speed of 31.40 knots on trials and was commissioned in December 1925. Category:1919 German Heavy Cruiser RFP Category:Heavy Cruisers Category:Gold Medal Winners Category:Kaiserliche Marine Category:Kaiserschlacht (Setting)